


Serpentine Soliloquy

by GreenVeal



Category: Horns - Joe Hill
Genre: Angst adjacent, Demonolatry, I’m pretty sure this is canon compliant, Other, snakes in large quantities, thinking about characters so minor they barely count as characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 19:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18697399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenVeal/pseuds/GreenVeal
Summary: Snakes are pouring into the foundry from every possible direction, coming from near and far in hopes of catching a glimpse of the devil himself.She was impressed by what She saw.





	Serpentine Soliloquy

Snakes talk. Of course they do.

Not to humans, they had long since had that ability stripped from their clade, but word still managed to spread quickly among their ranks. They told one another about the history of their kind, mother to daughter, father to son, they told the story of how they had been done dirty by the Good Lord, and the way they all carried an original sin that punished every individual for the crimes of a single snake. It wasn’t all dreary antiquity, however, snakes also gossip like no other creature, and when something interesting happened, which it rarely did, it became the subject of every, hiss, rattle, and huff around.

But this was different, it wasn’t merely interesting, it was monumental. This was a happening of biblical proportions. The Devil himself had come to town.

News traveled across the state, probably across the whole nation, and soon snakes were traveling the world to reach the foundry. It was a spiritual pilgrimage, not a single soul had needed to ask for directions, they simply knew where they were headed, it was like the warmth of a birds egg, or the scent of a bloodied mouse: they immediately knew what it was and how they were going to get to it. Every snake who heard about it, felt it.

He was the presence of the thing that had made them what they were today. He was their creator, for all intents and purposes.

 

-

 

She had never been a particularly faithful serpent, She never felt particularly vengeful to the lord for having stolen her legs, and She had never prayed a night in her life. Yet, when She saw him, She understood.

Pale and gaunt, with curved horns like carved stone, she could feel his pain, his fury and his regret. In only a moment’s glance, She had become a snake of The Persuasion. Sulphate scented the bricks he tread over and a desire for vengeance was apparent in his eyes.

She had never seen a human form convey such a serpentine fortitude before. 

The Devil initially rejected his followers, testing their faith. But She had found herself anew, so She didn’t even think of turning back. The devil could not deter the multitudes when his very presence proved his existence. Or perhaps he was conflicted, unsure how to avail his newfound army.

Either way, She was transfixed, even when he swayed the crowd She refused to let him leave her sight. She trailed behind him, eager to see something She didn’t quite understand. Hopeful that he would take a certain interest in her.

Then he did, he yelled in a fury. “Go brumate somewhere!” She understood his words, it didn’t surprise her whatsoever.

He had taken notice of her, specifically pointed her out and howled in her direction. She had been chosen.

When The Devil went to sleep that night he slept in the furnace with the door shut. There were a few members of the assembly small enough to fit through the ports in the top, but She was the only one who dared approach the sleeping manifestation.

She slunk into the metal chamber, scenting ash as She descended. Then she made contact, the front of her scaled face touched the bow of his lip.

 

Then She saw.

 

She saw Ig Perrish’s entire life, She saw quick flashes of music notes on paper, although She didn’t know how she understood the human markings. She found a moment of humor in the fact that he had attempted to learn the horn, suddenly aware of the instrument’s name and purpose. She felt the sensation of blowing into the horn, blowing the air clean from her lungs and having an asthma attack.Being a serpent, She was completely deaf- according to legend this was another blessing from the Good Lord- but in that moment She heard beautiful music. But it wasn’t coming from Ig, it was his brother’s horn. Terry Perrish, who had been born with perfect lungs and a winning personality.

Then She saw Merrin, and then She felt fire. An inferno of human passion and human emotion. Love, and then fury. She felt red hair running through the hands She never imagined having. Pleasure, merriness, and the taste of cherries.

Lee Torneau’s pale, blinded eye pierced into her vision, turning her blood hot and then freezing it solid.

Merrin had been killed, and Terry had known.

She shot backwards as if preparing to strike and then heaved herself out. The rest of the congregation had left them, now it was her turn to follow suit.

She had seen too much, and still not enough. Memories of a life that wasn’t hers danced in her mind as she ventured from out of the foundry. Now She was entranced in thought,memories trailed after her just as She had followed Ig hours before.

It had been hours- it’d hadn’t felt like hours, not amongst the electric faithful, all of them eager to be enlightened before the dawn.

And now the sun was rising. 

She was too engrossed in thought to possibly avoid the human hand which snapped her up.

There was laughter and jeers and although She couldn’t hear it, She understood their actual meaning clear as the morning. She was going to die. These humans were going to kill her.

 

And that was okay. Because she had been saved.


End file.
